My posts may begin to have new topics coming soon. I've pretty much blogged about every product and service I offer, and I don't do a whole lot of cooking, so I often forget to find one new recipe a month--my family and I have taken to eating huge, delicious green salads during the week (because I work in the evening and can't make us dinner), and then save our "special" dinners for the weekends.
In this post, I'd just like to take a minute to share some things that have been on my mind recently. I don't intend this to be a rant, but an opportunity to shed some light on recent happenings. If you are reading this, please jump in and make this a conversation. I'm glad to know people are reading my posts on my Facebook page, and would really like to share more interaction within those posts and these.
You may have seen my post on my Facebook page about last minute cancellations. In the past few months, it seems I've had a huge spike in the number of last minute cancellations and even a couple no-call, no-shows. I think I've been fairly flexible and understanding about people's reasons, when they are able to give me one, but I'm beginning to feel like I've either been TOO flexible about my cancellation policy, or that people are just out right abusing my time. In either case, I'm committing myself to firm up on this issue. I don't mean to scare anyone away, because my good clients are REALLY good clients, and I appreciate them tremendously. Many businesses operate with a cancellation policy, and many who work in such businesses do so as employees, who still get paid whether their clients schedule or show up for their appointments or not. In my business, I am not paid unless I see clients on the table. Period. If you have scheduled an appointment with me, that means I have reserved that time FOR YOU, not anyone else. When clients cancel their appointments with less than 24 hours notice, it's much more difficult to refill that reservation of my time, my income, and is completely impossible when clients neither call nor show up for their appointments.
As is the case for many people who work, I put effort in just to BE there for your appointments. Sometimes that means arranging to have a babysitter for my kids, for me to walk about 2.5 miles to get to the office (we are a one-car family), taking time to bring clean sheets to the office earlier in the day--knowing that I won't be able to carry them with me when it's time for me to walk to work later in the day. Not only these reasons, but I often get phone calls from potential new clients looking for same-day appointments that I could have booked with them, had I known sooner that a scheduled appointment later would go empty.
If you are unable to keep your appointments, provide at least 24 hours notice. Less than 24 hours notice will result in a $25 cancellation fee. A no-call, no-show will be billed for the full amount of their scheduled appointment. You are welcome and encouraged to send someone else in to take your appointment and avoid the cancellation fee when you are unable to provide 24 hours notice to me.
We're hardly a week into March, and I'm already anxiously looking forward to April. This month holds my oldest son's birthday, and the anniversary of us buying our house. Should be celebratory, but unfortunately, it's not feeling much like celebrating this first week. Someone my husband and I know died very unexpectedly on March 1. She was about my age, leaving behind a husband and 3 year old son. We weren't close, but our similarities made this strike a nerve in me that I still can't quite explain. In the days following that, two other friends of mine have lost someone in their family, and a client of mine is also approaching a loss as well. I guess the "calluses" I developed in my 4-5 years working in assisted living and Alzheimer's care facilities have softened, because this has been a rough week! I leave my emotions at the door when I'm at work, but they do come back outside of that. My emotional energy is feeling low. I know this doesn't go on forever, I'm just not used to grieving. My energy will be back soon.
Please take a minute to comment. Page views without any commentary feels kinda like I'm being stalked! ;) Come on out and play, lurkers! :)
